How do I know if my build is the best option without spending more than is necessary?

Noob101

Hello!

I am an avid gamer and computer user. I have a stable grasp of software since I use pretty high-power design software for my job and play relatively high-res games in my free time, but I am woefully incompetent in hardware. I have researched a little, but there is just so much information I am unfamiliar with, and the design options for a new PC seem so complex that I don't know if what I am creating in the custom build tool is all necessary or compatible with my requirements. So, I wanted to ask some experts to see if they can give me advice on what are the major things I should look out for when trying to build my PC. Here are a few key things about my requirements:

1. I will be solely playing games on this PC. I have a few higher-res games I play almost on a daily basis, like Satisfactory, No Mans Sky, and Disney Dreamlight, that my current PC is constantly lagging and glitching with because it's old. I am also always looking for new games, so I may dabble in more complex systems going forward. These are just the ones I'm currently playing.
2. Longevity. I am hoping to keep this PC for as long as possible and transfer pieces out as needed, but I hope I will not have to change anything for at least a few years. I hope to only be using sturdy parts from well-respected and competent brands.
3. I am hoping to spend no more than $2000 on this new PC, though a little over shouldn't break by budget and this does not include my budget for additional pieces like monitors or a keyboard/mouse.
4. I am a beginner in building, so will probably get my PC built for me and switch out parts myself going forward. Therefore, easy access and consumer friendly pieces would be appreciated.

I have already made a build list, but I apparently cannot share it until I have been on this forum for longer than a day, so I want to see if there is any advice or recommendations before I share my list.

Thank you!

Vaganza

I'm currently running on hardware that is Gen 9 and it still performs in the middle of the pack doing benchmarking. Things to keep in mind really is go with the most powerful CPU as you can, while these CAN be upgraded in the future, you are often stuck with in the same generation, so your upgrade may be limited to a faster one from the same generation say 12500-12700K (i5-i7) as new generations come in the future, the availability of those same generation CPUs become less and less. In my case I have a 9900K CPU and still runs great, from that point adding on upgraded GPU is easy and will be supported for a while, Adding RAM is easy, and upgrading SSD is also easy. Another thought is keeping the temps cool, this adds longevity to the hardware as well, my custom loop has not seen the CPU go much into the 40C range very often, this goes for the GPU as well. for what you are going for a custom loop may not be what you want as easy of upgrade goes away quickly, but what you can do is find a case and aircooling solution that meets those needs. Also dust kills. If you do get a list together feel free to share it here and we can make recommendations as well as the sales team at one of the stores.